in robert kelley's book, "how to be a star at work," he lists a series of traits about top performers. i just want to cover one of them: taking the initiative in ideas and actions. i spend a lot of time with managers and leaders from fortune 500 companies. i always ask them, what is missing from the fresh faces you hire these days? almost invariably, they talk about people who can follow well but don't know how to take the lead. here's what some of the best minds tell us initiative-takers do. first, they readily look for problems to solve. when no one else wants to jump into a tough spot, they step forward. second, they look for the white spaces. they don't just look at what's in front of them. instead, they ask, what's missing here? third, they persist, even when nay-sayers abound. you know the drill: there's always going to be someone when you do take initiative saying, do you really think we should be the first? or worse still, "hey, joe, hold back. you're making the rest of us look bad!" victor hugo said, initiative is doing the right thing without being told. are you ready? i'm l